This invention relates to an improved rotary shelf unit for a cabinet and the hardware for mounting such a rotary shelf unit.
Corner cabinets, for example as provided in a kitchen, often contain a rotary shelf which enhances access to the full interior of the corner cabinet. These shelves are mounted to operate as a "lazy susan".
Heretofore various suggestions have been made with respect to the hardware for mounting such corner cabinet shelves. Boon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,037, discloses an assembly utilizing a center mounting post suspended between opposite end pivot connections. Shelves are mounted on the center post and the entire unit may be pivoted about that post.
Another type of assembly is disclosed by Anderson in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,857 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,197. Anderson teaches that the rotary shelf may be attached to a cabinet door and pivot hardware may be attached at both the top and bottom of the door. This configuration eliminates the need for a center support post. Anderson also teaches the use of an adjustable detent mechanism associated with one of the pivot mounts to control the rest or detent position of the rotary shelf unit.
The aforesaid mechanisms are efficient and with proper experience can be installed with relative ease. On the other hand, the mechanism as described in Boon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,037, tends to cut down the interior space of such a cabinet because of the necessity of a mounting shaft or center rod for support of the shelves. The mechanisms taught in the Anderson patents overcome the problem of space conservation, yet result in a further problem of placing significant stresses on the cabinet door.